Milker nipple



Aug: i9, 94?. c. A. THOMAS 2,425,901

MILKER NIPPLE Filed'Aug. 2. 194e 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Aug. 19, 1947 MILKER NIPPLE Chester A. Thomas, Crystal Lake, Ill., assignor to Babson Bros. Co., a corporation of Illinois Application August 2, 1946, Serial No'. 688,053 In Canada May 2, 1946 Claims.

This invention relates to a milker nipple adapted to provide an automatic shut-oli connection between a milker and a flexible tube adapted to deliver milk thereto from a teat-cup.

One feature of this invention is that it provides a new and improved connecting nipple; another feature of this invention is that partially choked milk delivery tubes are substantially eliminated; a further feature of this invention is that the preceding object is achieved without leakage around the nipple when the milk delivery tube is in a position Where full cut-off is desired; another feature of this invention is that it may be easily and simply manufactured; and other features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following specification and the drawings, in Which:

Figure 1 is a side view, partially in vertical section, of a milker embodying my invention; Figure 2 is an early step in the process of manufacturing nipples embodying my invention; Figure 3 is a side elevation view ofthe finished nipple; Figure 4 shows a top plan view of the nished nipple; Figure 5 is a partial sectional View showing the milk delivery tube in fully out o position; and Figure 6 is a view of the same structure shown in Figure 5, but showing the milk delivery tube just as it opens.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my application Serial No. 648,099, led February 16, 1946, in turn a continuation of and substitute for my application Serial No. 404,248, iiled July 26, 1941.

The use on the lid of milkers of connecting nipples which automatically cut oi the connection when the teat-cup and its connecting tube drop has long been commercial practice, but such connecting nipples have presented disadvantages. Those which were made with a straight cut or ilat face, as it may be termed, leaked around the edges of the face when the tube was in cut off position; and other nipples which have for years been made and used by the company bywhom I am employed, and which obviated leakage by turning the end of the face up in a substantial hook or lip, were objectionable in that they resulted in partially choked milk delivery tubes at times when such tubes should have been fully opened. I have now devised, and am here disclosing, a connecting nipple which provides complete shut-off when this is desired, with no leakage around its edges, yet which opens the tube to fully desired Width under conditions where previous nipples have partially choked the tube.

Referring now more particularly to Figure 1, I have shown a connector nipple Ill on the lid II of a suspended milker. The milker comprises as its principal parts a bucket or container I 2, an upwardly and forwardly extending handle I3, the preyiously mentioned lid, and a pulsator I4. The milker is of the suspended type, more particularly described and claimed in McCornack Patents 1,859,213, dated May 17, 1932, and 2,050,- 356, dated August 11, 1936, and connecting nipples embodying my invention have proved particularly desirable in connection with such a milker.

As is Well known, this type of milker is adapted to be hung beneath the belly of the cow by a surcingle extending over the cows back, a rod or similar element supported beneath the coWs belly bythe surcingle in turn supporting the milker by receiving in one of the notches I5, I6 or Il in the handle I3. A long ileXible tube I8 leads from the pulsator III to a source of vacuum, generally a metal pipe extending along the barn wall and continuously evacuated, during milking, by a vacuum pump. The vacuum thus produced is drawn continuously on the interior of the container or bucket I2, and alternately through the tube I9 by reason of the operation of the pulsator I 4. A teat-cup shell of metal or the like, here identied as 20, has an inflation 2i therein of rubber or similar ilexible material, the inflation in this case having integral with it a milk delivery tube here separately identified as 22, this tube being slipped over the nipple I0.

In the operation of the milker a vacuum is continuously drawn within the iniiation 2| through the tube 22, and any milk drawn from the teat is delivered through this tube to the milker bucket; while the spade between the inflation 2| and the shell 20 is alternately evacuated and opened to atmospheric air so that the inflation achieves the desired periodic squeezing of the teat. While only one nipple, teat-cup and inilation are shown in order to provide the clarity of illustration provided by a sectional view, it will be understood that the milker lid is provided with four such assemblies. When putting the teat-cups on and olf one at a time, when a teat-cup drops oir a teat, or in the abnormal cases of an udder with only three teats, it is necessary that the tube 22 be shut off when the cup is hanging down, since otherwise the vacuum in the bucket would be lost. It is for this purpose that the connecting nipple is provided with an automatic shut-off action, achieved by cutting steel having an outer diameter of T7@ inch, is first cut in sections about 21/2 inches long, as shownby the full line representation in Figure 2, the

tube then being cut straight across at a..shar.p.

angle, as illustrated by the dottedlne in Figure 2; The angle of this cut must be other than a-right angle and, if the nipple is properly to achieve itsresults, must be considerably less than 45 to the longitudinal axis of the tube, preferably being approximately 22.5. If the cutting operation has left any ragged edges these may be next ground smooth, and then the nipple isplacedin an automatic press, as a punch press, or otherwise sub-l jected to a carefully regulated amountof pres sure applied through a predetermined distance, directly down upon the face, to expand the transverse1width ofthe face about twentyzper cent` without appreciably-gaifecting the thickness of the walls of the tube at that end. The4 tube section may be supported, during this bumping operation,l lin a die havinga `ca vity with the: desired final exterior conformation of the nipple, the outer wall surface of the tube at said end preferably ilaring only outwardly along its shortest transverse dimension. A5 can be best seen in Figure 4, the face is'substantially elliptical as a result of its formation by the cut at a sharp angle to the axis of the tube, and its transverse exterior width, or maximum distance from edge to edge on theminor axis, is expanded about twenty per` cent more than the exterior diameter of the undistorted vcylindrical portion of the nipple, but the longitudinal axis of the finished nipple is still straight throughout its length.

In a preferred embodiment of my inventionA the tube having 1 '6' inch outer .diameter is spread to a diameter of about inch across the face.l Every effort is made to keep this expansion symmetrical, and a press carefully set to travel an appropriate distance will give equal expansion of the face of a plurality of nipples as they are being manufactured..

Afterfthe expanding. operation just described the face of the nipple is preferably ground, as on a surface grinder, to aplane a5 illustrated in Figure 3. It will be understood, however, that some slight deviation from an absolute plane, as by having the face slightly hollow or lower at the center than the ends, is permissible and still results in a satisfactory nipple. The end or tip of the nipple is preferably rounded somewhat as by light grinding to remove the sharp edge which might otherwise cut the rubber tube.

As may be seen in Figure 5, the nippleis -attached to a socket in the lid I l by welding or other appropriate means, so that the axis ofthe nipple lies atY approximately an anglefof 22.5 totheplane of the lid. When the teat-cup drops down into fully hangingposition'the tuber22'hasa tendency to flatten down where it lies along the face of the connecting nipple, and in so doing to lifted, as where it is in place upon a rather low teat, the tube 22 is fairly well opened, as shown in Figure 6, under conditions where an upturned end on the nipple would have substantially completely closed it off. In order to determine the difference between the action of this and former connecting nipples, and to demonstrate the advantages of this` nipple, similar arrangements were provided except for thetwo nipples, and the nipples tilted to determine when the milk delivery tube started to open and when it was fully opened. With my new nipple the connection started to open, with the cup hanging free, when the nipple face was slanting down at an angle of .about 20-25- below the horizontal (i. e., when the nipple axis -wasabout horizontal), and the connection was fully opened when the milker had been tilted until the nipple face was slanting down-at an angle of about 45 below the horizontal (i. e., when the nipple axis was slanting down about 25 below the-horizontal).

InA the case of the formerly used nipple V'with an upturned end, however, a similar test showed that the connection did not start to open until the nipple axis was slanting down at an angle of about 40 below the horizontal and that it was not'fully opened until an axis angle of 65 below the horizontal was reached. My improved connectoi` nipple, therefore, gives a much greater operating latitude for unusual conditions and provides sufficient flow space under circumstances where the previous nipple would-have completelyA the spirit and scope of the inventionas disclosed in the appended claims.V

I claim: l. A milkingbucket structure having integral therewith a nipple 'to provide a 4il'ow controlling' tube, comprising a rigid tubular member having its longitudinal axis `in a straight line throughout its extent, said member having a cylindrical portion having the end face'at one end thereof 'in a plane at an angle other ,than a right angle to the n connection between the the bucket and a flexible longitudinal axis and the outer edges of said endv being so constructed and arranged that the maximum distance from edge to edge onetheminor axis is greater than the exterior diameter ofthe cylindrical portion of the nipple, thewalls` of theY tube` at said end being -of aA thickness mot-'appreciably diiTerent than theithickness of the-walls?- throughout the remainderof the tube.

2. A milking -bucket structure having integral therewith .a nippletoprovide a rflow controllingconnection between the bucket and a exible tube, comprising a', rigid tubular i member having its longitudinal axis in a straight f line throughout -f its extent, said member havingacylindrical portion` having the-end face-at oneendthereof vin aplane at an angle other rthan a right angle to-the A longitudinal axis andthe-outer edges of said'endbeing so constructed and arranged that themaximum distance from'edgetofedge-on theminor axis is greater-than theexter-ior diameter of-1the cylindrical portiony of .the nipple, the walls-ofthe tube at said end lbeing -of ra thickness not Aappreciably different than the thickness of -the lWalls throughout the `remainder'of-theetubeand *the outer wall surface of the tube along its shortest` transverse dimension flaring only outwardly at said end.

3. A milking bucket structure having integral therewith a nipple to provide a flow controlling connection between the bucket and a flexible tube, comprising a rigid tubular member having its longitudinal axis in a straight line throughout its extent, said member having a cylindrical portion having the end face at one end thereof in a plane at an angle of less than forty-ve degrees to the longitudinal axis and the outer edges of said end being so constructed and arranged that the maximum distance from edge to edge on the minor axis is greater than the exterior diameter of the cylindrical portion of the nipple but less than the maximum distance from edge to edge on the major axis of said end, the walls of the tube at said end being of a. thickness not appreciably different than the thickness of the walls throughout the remainder of the tube.

4. A milking bucket structure having integral therewith a nipple to provide a flow controlling connection between the bucket and a flexible tube, comprising a rigid tubular member having its longitudinal axis in a straight line throughout its extent, said member having a cylindrical portion having the end face at one end thereof in a plane at an angle of less than forty-iive degrees to the longitudinal axis and the outer edges of said end being so constructed and arranged that the maximum distance from edge to edge on the minor axis is approximately twenty percent greater than the exterior of the cylindrical portion of the nipple but less than the maximum distance from edge to edge on the major axis of said end, the walls of the tube at said end being of a thickness not appreciably dilerent than -the thickness of the walls throughout the remainder of the tube. 5. A milking bucket structure having integral therewith a nipple to provide a flow controlling connection between the bucket and a iiexible tube, comprising a rigid tubular member having its longitudinal axis in a straight line throughout its extent, said member having a cylindrical portion having the end face at one end thereof in a plane at an angle of approximately twenty-two and a half degrees to the longitudinal axis and the outer edges of said end being so constructed and arranged that the maximum distance from edge to edge on the minor axis is approximately twenty percent greater than the exterior of the cylindrical portion of the nipple but less than the maximum distance from edge to edge on the major axis of said end, the Walls of the tube at said end being of a thickness not appreciably diierent than the thickness of the walls throughout the remainder of the tube. i

CHESTER A. THOMAS. 

